ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WUSA) -- Justin Storm, 27, was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Friday for leading a gang-controlled juvenile prostitution business, announced Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The group recruited and trafficked high school girls over a five to six year period. The driver of the prostitution ring, 23-year-old Henock Ghile, of Springfield, Va. was also sentenced to 10 years in prison. A total of five gang members have been convicted in this juvenile sex trafficking case.

"[Justin Storm] saw these young girls as commodities and used fraud, flattery and force to lure them into the depraved world of child prostitution," said U.S. Attorney MacBride.

He added, "Today's sentence is both severe and appropriate. No sentence can undo the trauma endured by these girls, but we hope this sentence will help save others by driving would-be traffickers out of the child sex trafficking business."

According to court documents, Storm was the leader of the Underground Gangster Crips (UGC), a Crips "set" based in Fairfax County. Storm masterminded the business that prostituted at least eight girls aged 16 or 17, along with adult females, in northern Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. from 2006 to March 2012, according to a press release.

The gang members advertised the victims on Craigslist.org and Backpage.com offering "in-call" prostitution services that were provided in Storm's basement in Lorton, Va. The group charged between $30 to $40 dollars for 15 minutes of sex, with an average of 5 to 10 clients per night.

"Justin Storm created a waking nightmare for these girls. He exploited them through the sale of their bodies and robbed them of their childhood," said Attorney General Cuccinelli. "Though nothing can erase the horror and hurt the girls and their families have suffered, it is our hope that today's sentencing will help them find a sense of peace as they begin a difficult journey towards healing."